Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)

Directed by Jack Hill [Other horror films: The Terror (1963), Blood Bath (1966), Mondo Keyhole (1966), Fear Chamber (1968), House of Evil (1968), La muerte viviente (1971), The Incredible Invasion (1971)]

This is a pretty well-known movie, and while I’d consistently heard decent things about it, it’s never been one I’ve really been dying to check out. Because of it being labeled a horror-comedy mix, I didn’t know if it would be my type of thing. After seeing it, it’s true that the movie isn’t really my type of movie, but even with that caveat, I think it was pretty decent.

The story is certainly interesting, dealing with three siblings of subnormal mental status and their caretaker having to contend with the intrusion of distant relatives into their lives. Actually, I briefly thought that this movie is what House of 1000 Corpses would have been if it were made in the 1960’s (even more so because Sid Haig is here). It’s not really my idea of a fun story, but it’s done pretty well.

It also moves at quite a decent pace. It’s not a long movie to begin with, and while there are portions in which the action is less prevalent, Spider Baby keeps us engaged pretty well. No doubt the solid performances help a lot in that aspect.

Lon Chaney Jr. (La casa del terror, The Wolf Man, House of the Black Death, Pillow of Death, Son of Dracula) gave a great performance. He never stood out to me as much as Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloffe, or Peter Lorre, but Chaney Jr. here did really well, and even threw an emotional scene in. Beverly Washburn and Jill Banner also stand out as solid with their performances.

Because of the nature of his character, Sid Haig (Galaxy of Terror, A Dead Calling, Brotherhood of Blood, The Aftermath, Hanukkah) doesn’t have much personality, but he was fun to see. Karl Schanzer, Mary Mitchel (Panic in Year Zero!, Dementia 13), and Quinn K. Redeker all had their moments, and it was nice to see both Carol Ohmart (House on Haunted Hill) and Mantan Moreland (King of the Zombies).

There is a bit of proto-slasher attitude in this one – in the opening, someone is stabbed multiple times, and though it’s off-screen, it looks painful. Someone was about to have their foot cut off, had another character not intervened. It’s not much – this isn’t H.G. Lewis, and related, this was in black-and-white – but there’s a bit here that was encouraging.

Like I said, the story wasn’t really for me, but I did sort of like the vibe of this one. It felt a decent amount different from many other films I’ve seen in the late 1960’s, and again, the addition of some emotional material from Chaney Jr.’s character was a pleasant surprise.

I don’t think Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told is ever a movie I will love, but it is a decent movie, and is worth watching for something a bit different.

7.5/10